Next time somebody tries to kick you off the TV for playing video games, you might like to remind them that gaming now represents the largest entertainment format in the world, with the biggest releases beating the best Hollywood movies by a handy margin.

Don’t think games are important? Then why would Mercedes and now BMW task teams of designers and engineers to create virtual cars, fully models to perform in the virtual world?

If you visited the LA Auto Show, you might have seen the Mercedes AMG Vision Gran Turismo in the flesh. The carmaker felt its involvement was important enough to commit time and money to creating a working concept from its video game design.

The design clearly owes a little to the existing BMW M4, the future M2, the M4 DTM racecar and older 3.0CSL Batmobile. Created by BMW Group Design, the engineers have suggested it would be powered by a 549hp version of the 3.0-liter six-cylinder engine found in the new M3 and M4.

Visitors to BMW Welt – the company’s showcase building in Munich, Germany – will be able to sample the BMW Vision Gran Turismo on a virtual track in the BMW M exhibition. This will include an immersive three-screen display around a racing seat to bring the experience to life.

The paint finish over the carbon fiber bodywork uses BMW M colors that follow the flow of the airstream. It covers the virtual engine and drivetrain that must be modeled for the video game to ensure a realistic driving experience. So the 3.0L turbo engine was virtually engineered to deliver its maximum 549hp between 6200-7300rpm, while peak torque of 500 lb-ft arrives at an optimistic 1900rpm.

To mark Gran Turismo’s 15th anniversary last year, the game’s creator and president of Polyphony Digital Incm Kazunori Yamauchi, invited carmakers to contribute their own designs. “I was eagerly awaiting what kind of car BMW would come up with. The resulting Vision Gran Turismo was a sports car that was so clearly BMW, which really shows the DNA of BMW. What makes the Vision GT car so recognizable as a BMW is things like its compact size, its wide front and rear fenders. It maintains the strong angular forms from the past, but the car is also given modern, elegant lines.”